Notes / Commercial Description:
This hearty, mahogany colored ale is brewed to evoke the dark, full-bodied ales that were a favorite of dockworkers and warehousemen (hence the name “Porter”) in 19th century London. It is a good bet that when Dickens’ Mr. Pickwick sat down for a pint, we would have been drinking an ale much like our Robust Porter.This is a smooth and very drinkable beer, characterized by its well-balanced malt and hops, plus subtle notes of coffee and chocolate.

More User Reviews:

it's easy to forget about beers like this. it's not unique. it wasn't done in collaboration between new hampshire and copenhagen. no one needed a wristband to get it.

i don't really give a shit about those kinds of beers. there's too much hype around them and someone's always done something stupid or weird to make it different and everyone gets this collective beer snob boner about how great it is not because it's really good but because it's really hard to get.

no one gets a boner over this beer, but they should (proverbially speaking, of course). it's exactly what it claims to be - dark, roasty, and sweet with multiple layers to both the nose and the mouth. it washes down clean, with a little coffee bitterness hanging around afterwards.

i've had more of these than i can possibly count through the years. this is happy beer.

Presentation: 12oz brown bottle. Very interesting b&w label comprised of a strong man holding a keg in one and woman in the other. A little dog in a bag at their side. "Cirque du François Oeuf" reads the caption. Freshness cleary marked.

Appearance: Extreme dark. As dark as any Stout, but with deep brown pitches. A healthy, rich tan lace clinges from the dark abyss from which it reaches.

Taste: Mouthfeel is medium, smooth. Upfront citrus rind hop flavour that dominates the entire palate. It sharpens with a grapfruit juice quality, then dissapates. The black malts are the main culprits which lend to the acrid taste. Soon after, some lightly burnt malt/chocolate/coffee ground flavours poke through to score the palate. Finishes a bit dry with more of that lightly burnt medly.

Notes: One of Smuttynose's most complex and tasty brews to date. Haven't had many Robust Porters, but this is indeed true to the modern day interpretation of a Porter, and it is indeed robust in flavour.

Huge rocky light brown head that holds up very well and seems to stick everywhere it can. It literally is one of the best heads I have seen in a long time. Big aroma of highly roasted malt, a pinch of sweetness in there also. Very smooth with a creamy backbone. Robust they say and robust it is with a sturdy full body. Roasted malt is very prevalent and gives a quick snappish twang then a blanketing of softer roasted malt flavour slowly cover the mouth again with suggestions of French roast coffee and unsweetened chocolate. Tight berry like fruitiness within and a mild warming alcohol slowly warms the mouth and body. Damn good drinking.

It comes in a rich dark color, with a slight bit of brown in its head, like what a porter should have.

The aroma has huge chocolate, roast, and some coffee.

It has a complex round flavor of chocolate, coffee, and malt. It rolls off the tongue nicely with a clean wonderful finish. The body is so creamy. The beer is almost like a mocha coffee cappuccino.

I find that some porters lack that characteristic and this is what makes this beer so good is because of its body and mouth feel. I had this beer next to Edmund Fitzgerald Porter, a highly rated porter, and preferred this beer.

12 oz bottle from a six-pack purchased at The Beer Store; no bottling date, and served barely chilled. Listed at 6.6%.

Pours an opaque, deep brownish-black colour reminiscent of a cola, topped with an inch of foamy, light beige-tinted head. Retention is quite good - after nearly ten minutes have passed, there's still one finger of creamy foam on the surface, as well as a smooth coating of lovely lace slowly being generated. Looks great, and the nose is no less enticing - rich chocolate notes come through clearly, along with brown sugar and molasses sweetness. Hints of mocha coffee, raisins, toasted nuts and earthy, somewhat resinous hops add to the depth of the aroma.

It's yummy, if nothing else. Roasted dark malts supply most of the flavours, ranging from molasses sweetness, to dark chocolate richness, to ground coffee bitterness. Hints of dark fruits and citrusy hops are also detectable, with the profile ending upon an earthy, pine-resiny bitterness at the finish, followed by some roasty astringency and mild chocolate maltiness in the aftertaste. Medium-full in body, with low carbonation that weakly nudges the surface of the palate; the texture is soft, smooth, and almost silky, and a pleasure to sip.

Final Grade: 4.38, an A grade. Smuttynose's Robust Porter is aptly named - this is a strong, flavourful dark brew that is sure to satisfy the needs of porter lovers everywhere. The rich dark malt notes are fantastic, but the hop flavours are what catapult this beer from "really good" into "great" territory - the earthy bitterness at the finish is a perfect counterpoint to the chocolate, molasses and coffee flavours imparted by the malt backing. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for more of this in the future, and recommend it highly to any and all curious BAs.

This pours pitch black with a slight hue to it. A scant tan head of creamy foam that fell fast to a film and a ring and left sticky lace. Looks deep and like it never ends.

Nose is big and bright. There is a nice fruity scent of berries on top of a dark roasted malt. Coffee, chocolate and a light sweetness. There is no alcohol on the nose. It even has a faint touch of lemon rind that adds even more brightness. Caramel as the malt warms and some nutty qualities too. It's complex on the nose and as it unfolds it gets deeper and more vivid.

Taste is so wonderful. It's the deft combination of dark roasted malt and those bright sweet fruits that greet the palate. Then you notice the chocolate and are delighted. The coffee is blended with it perfectly and they are inseparable. The malt is soft and it 's caramel sweetness is full and with the nutty flavors it tastes sticky and sweet. It has a grainy edge to it and that is carried in the mouthfeel. The hop floral is faint but it's there to add lightness to the body. It's hearty and creamy at the same time. The dark malt even imparts a bitter that keeps everything rolling across the tongue for a complex and rich drink without heaviness.

Smuttynose has really done a terrific porter here. My favorite of it's aspects is the light berry-like fruit. So many times dark fruits impart a heavier quality to a beer like this one but this is just buoyant on the palate. Balanced perfectly and drinks with a delightfully long aftertaste. Tremendous!

Almost black in color,medium carbonation. A really pleasant smelling porter with aroma of coffee,chocolate , and malt. Not a creamy heavy porter but not thin or watery like some can be but perfectly in the middle. This has all the components that it should. As soon as I finished a bottle I immediately wanted to open another. Can't go wrong with trying this one

Look - Pours pitch black with dark ruby highlights when held to light, two fingers of tan head, great retention, some lacing.
Aroma - Dark roast coffee, charcoal, yeast, subtle smoke.
Taste - Layers and layers of roasted malt with a very nice slightly charred character. Rich coffee flavors about halfway through. Sweetness is there with a hint of malted milk ball but the star of the show is the charred malt. Hop flavors are minimal but do have a slight oily earthy quality. Finishes balanced with a hint of wood smoke. Aftertaste has lingering roast.
Feel - Medium bodied, soft carbonation, on the dry side yet creamy.

Overall - Complex, balanced and packed full of flavor. A world class beer.

Pours a deep deep brown with a wispy almond colored head,aroma is chocolaty and deeply roasted with an almost lactic quality to it.Taste is pretty robust like it says,I get a big earthiness along with some bitter unsweetened chocolate with some dry hoppy notes that eek through near the finish.A real nice cold weather brew nice to sip on a rainy damp day like today.

Had a cold pint on tap at The Mission Tapas Restaurant in Pittsfield, MA. Attractive dark brown color, nutty chocolate aroma. Taste was delicious, made me think of a cup of iced Columbian coffee with a healthy dose of chocolate--not overly sweet but more tart/lactic acid. Mouth feel very smooth with a nice linger to the taste. Interestingly, the taste stayed exactly the same for me as it lingered---no bitter after notes, for example. Truly outstanding porter, probably my favorite of the style.

An aptly named brew from a Brewery that I don't pay enough attention to. Pours a deep brown without heaps of carbonation, even when poured from a decent height. Bouquet is dominated by hops and malty sweetness. Tastes, well, great... complex, well rounded, roasted malty sweetness with enough hops to keep you on your toes. Would like to do a blind taste test with this and a few of my other favorite porters. This could very well become a staple fridge beer.

Nearly opaque with a huge imperial like tan-brown head. Aroma is strong and full with wonderful wisps of chocolate, French roast coffee, peanuts, and hex. Taste lets down jut a notch from the huge aroma but its still quite enjoyable. Aggressive coffee and hex nut are the dominant flavors. Mouthfeel is full, rich, smooth, drying in the finish, and mildly astringent. Very drinkable.

A: Smuttynose's Robust Porter is almost opaque black garnet highlights on the edges. The creamy mouse-like head is an expresso creme shade of light brown with almost the same texture; it also leaves lacing on the glass.

S: This beer has a thick roasted malt nose with low notes of plums and raisins. There is a moderate chocolate aroma and a touch of coffee. Pretty much nothing for hops and a light alcohol note.

T: The roast malt flavor is as big as the nose with a medium amount of chocolate and light expresso notes. There is a moderate to moderate-low hop bitterness and no hop flavor. The roast and bitterness continue past the dry finish.

M: Medium-heavy in body with a moderate level of carbonation. There is a a light chalkiness and a light alcohol warmth.

O: This is a robust porter that's packed with a lot of roast and far amount of chocolate.

T: The first sip of this beer is the best, before your palate gets aclimated to the brew. That first sip is so rich and so damn chocolately its amazing. Even by the second sip its less intense. Rich body, up front with coffee, chocolate, followed by a balancing hop bitterness. A touch of caramel, plenty of oil, finish is dry and refreshing. As the beer warms the chocolate opens up with some lactic overtones and becomes more reminiscent of milke chocolate than the dark chocolate in the nose. Roasty.

M&D: Very nice, the accessible weight makes it very drinkable. An easy drinking but still very interesting beer. Well made.

T-M-D- First is a mocha like coffee taste followed by a fruity burst of sweeted dates, prunes and raisins. Has some hoppy charactor in the ways mild bitterness and floral flavors. Full bodied and mild carbonation make this beer an easy drinker.
I could easily put down a dozen of these in a night loving every sip.

Been wanting to try this one for a while. I recently brewed a Robust Porter and wanted to have a high ranking version to sample.

Pitch black body, big tan head that was slow to fall. Slight lacing.

Smells strongly of chocolate and some hints of toffee. Slight sweetness is aparent in the nose. Some hop aroma peaks through...possibly American derived.

Flavor comes across with a lot of roast, a bit of charcoal after the swallow. Has a touch of sweetness too and some very subtle hints of dark fruit. Still has some chocolately and coffee characters througout.

Nice medium body. Coats well and the roasted flavors linger for a while. Overall, this is a really nice beer. Nice big body and simple but robust flavors. Pretty easy to drink. Just a lot of flavor for a 5.7% beer.